Jie Xu

Jie’s broad research interests are hinged by the keyword – “nanomaterials”, especially those naturally occurring in nature. It has become evident that various nanophases (e.g., sulfides, carbonates, and silicates) form in natural systems all the time. What remains largely unclear is what processes lead to the formation of these nanophases, what physicochemical properties these nanophases have, and what interactive processes these nanophases may enable in biogeochemical niches. To address these outstanding questions, Jie’s group have been using multidisciplinary tools to study the formation mechanisms and catalytic properties of naturally occurring nanomaterials, microbial biomineralization, and bacterial utilization of nanomaterials as energy/nutrient sources. For example, one current project focuses on understanding how anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria utilize solid-phase nanostructures to meet the bacteria’s energy need. For another example, we also study how bacteria form and manipulate the assembly of nanostructures. The basic work in Jie's group has important implications for various applications, especially in nanomaterial synthesis, fuel cell, bioelectronic, and biocatalyst development other than providing a key holistic picture of how larger biogeochemical environments have evolved/continue to evolve. The talented scientists and students in Jie's group have diverse backgrounds and we always welcome those who are interested in interdisciplinary research, including but not limited to, microbe-nanostructure interactions, biomineralization, transition metal sulfur chemistry, structure-property relationships in amorphous nanomaterials, material crystal structure research, biogeochemistry, astrobiology research, and advanced TEM-based method development. Contact today!